Remember going to relative’s houses and being subjected to long, poorly-shot, unfocused slide shows of their trip to Bakersfield? As they say, the more things change, the more they seem to remain the same…

Social media is to emotions what high-fructose corn syrup is to sweets and goodies. They’re always seeking new methods to hook you and once you try it, you come back for more. Not only are we drawn in by the floating hearts, number of likes, and various “dings” and “dongs” emanating from our devices, but as a Star Trek tractor beam, they’ve managed now to corral us with “Memories;” images, posts, or relationship anniversaries from previous times. There is no escape.

Check Facebook’s “Stories,” and the vast majority are folks sharing quick quips the social media giant has regurgitated from their time lines “x years ago” Virtually every time I sign on (too often), I’m reminded it’s my anniversary with someone I “friended.” Of late, they’re adding short shareable videos. I’m not immune; it’ll pull me down the rabbit hole faster than Bugs Bunny chasing a carrot. (Fun tip courtesy of LifeHacker.com – Go to https://www.facebook.com/us and the page will list all the posts both you and your partner have been mentioned in, including posts where others have tagged you both.)

Other apps and social media outlets have learned the game and are now also roping us in with “memories”. My photo storage site has leapt into the fray too; showing me photos of this date in my personal history. I don’t think I’d mind it if it used some discretion. The problem is that at-times, instead of writing a note, I use my iPhone camera as the note-taker. Since the service I use automatically uploads all my photos, two of my latest “memories” have been a picture of a spreadsheet taped to a closet and a paint bubble on the side of my house. Remember the good old days?

All that out of the way, maybe I’m particularly susceptible because I’m one of those folks who won’t throw away memorabilia or computer files. I keep the former so when I get “old(er)” I will be able to look back at my memories (I’m not sure I really will, nor understand why I would want to, but it’s what I do.) I keep electronic files because as sure as I delete an unusable, unopenable, useless 1997 WordStar file from my computer, I know for a fact that that particular long-forgotten client will call me up out of the blue and say, “Remember that project we were working on when Green Bay defeated New England in the Super Bowl? Well, I need it again please and I have a tight deadline.” (If you’re in a similar occupation to mine, you know I’m not far off.)

All this talk of memories prompted me to take a look at what I’ve written in the last 15 years — because it’s well, memorabilia and it’s an electronic file on my drive. It’s impossible for me to throw it away. I thought that after a column as heavy as last week’s I’d do something lighter. I also would like to believe that what I write about is somewhat reflective of what we’re going through at the time. So, pretend you’re on Facebook and let’s see what we were talking about in this column in days gone by.

As examples, last year at this time, the subject was thankfulness because I wasn’t being chased from my home by fires. Five years ago, the topic was the loss of Robin Williams and a reminder to take care of each other and be appreciative for the moments we have with each other. In 2007, I was complaining about having a bad day when a reader approached me in a store and told me he was grateful for some of my advice. And waaaay back in the beginning (2004), I was reminding myself that I’d rather be thankful for having to cut back what I eat instead of finding enough as is the case in so much of the world.

I think I already knew this but I realized that my recurrent theme is gratitude. I know times are tough. I realize we’re all doing the best we can on foreign – sometimes frightening – landscape. No one gave us an instruction manual. Yet, as Carly Simon said so long ago, “these are the good old days.”

Despite it all – or maybe because of it all – make today the best you can. Help others do the same. The best times are now, not on a timeline tomorrow.

Scott “Q” Marcus is a nationally known weight loss expert for baby boomers and the CRP — Chief Recovering Perfectionist — of www.ThisTimeIMeanIt.com. His new book, co-written with his sister, “The Busy Baby Boomers Motivational Guide to Weight Loss” is at www.BabyBoomersGuides.com.